Your Daily Poem

I normally like to make my publication announcements early on the day that they appear, but Tuesdays are always hectic. And now that my day is done, there’s a cute little dog blocking access to my laptop and demanding cuddles.

However, life and adorable-dog interruptions aside, I’m thrilled to announce that my poem, “Lizard,” was published at Your Daily Poem this morning. I’ve been a subscriber at YDP for a while now, and it’s exciting to be a part of a site that brings a little bit of joy to my inbox every morning.

I’ve been trying to write persona poems lately. Getting out of my own head and into the head of someone else is definitely an interesting exercise, even if it doesn’t lead to a poem that I consider a keeper. Normally, I write from the perspective of a friend, or from a person I have noticed while out and about, or sometimes even a person who is entirely fictional. “Lizard,” as you might have already guessed, is written from the perspective of the title character.

I’ve loved lizards ever since I came to Texas. They eat insects. They’re ostensibly good luck. And they’re cute. This poem in particular was inspired by the lizards I encountered at Round Top when I was there for the poetry festival. While one of them stayed still long enough to pose for a few photographs, most of them darted out of sight pretty quickly, and I could only imagine that they were slightly annoyed by the presence of all of us poets trampling on their territory. And thus, a poem was formed.

It’s free to subscribe to YDP, and I encourage you all to sign up. It’s a nice way to get a little literary inspiration and excitement as soon as you check your email in the morning.